Former Republican (proto-fascist/socialist) President Theodore “Robber Baron” Roosevelt delivers his “I took the Isthmus” speech to the University of California, in which he admits violating the Constitution for the United States, and his oath of office:

       [I]f I had followed the general or conservative [lawful] method, I should have submitted an admirable state paper, occupying a couple of hundred pages detailing the facts to Congress and asked Congress consideration of it, in which there would have been a number of excellent speeches made on the subject in congress and the debate would be proceeding at this moment with great spirit, and the beginning of the canal would be fifty years in the future.

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       Fortunately, the crisis came when I could begin the work unhampered. I took the Isthmus, started the canal, and then left Congress not to debate the canal, but to debate me and in portions of the public press the debate still goes on as to whether or not I acted properly in getting the canal, but while the debate goes on the canal does too and they are welcome to debate me as long as they wish, provided that we can go on with the canal now.

       NOTE: The “crisis” which Roosevelt mentions is the Panamanian Revolution, which he orchestrated to his own ends.

       [restored 6/5/2022]

       Sticky questions here: what is the difference between this and Jefferson’s purchase of Louisiana? To answer my own question, Jefferson did not orchestrate a revolution in order to make his purchase. –– JL